UAE, France Hold Inaugural Consular Consultations to Deepen Bilateral Cooperation

Paris, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates and France have held the inaugural round of bilateral consular consultations in Paris, marking a significant step toward strengthening cooperation in consular affairs and enhancing services provided to citizens of both countries.

The UAE delegation was led by Faisal Eissa Lutfi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the French delegation was headed by Pauline Carmona, Director for French Nationals Abroad and Consular Administration at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

At the opening of the consultations, Faisal Eissa Lutfi conveyed the greetings of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and extended his best wishes for the success of the meeting.

Lutfi highlighted the longstanding friendship, strategic partnership, and broad-based cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and France, noting that bilateral relations continue to flourish under the shared vision and commitment of the leadership of both countries. He said the partnership serves the common aspirations of the two friendly nations and their peoples for sustained progress and prosperity.

He also expressed appreciation to the French government for hosting the inaugural consultations, describing the launch of the bilateral dialogue as a reflection of the shared determination to develop innovative, proactive, and customer-focused consular services. He noted that both countries aim to leverage modern technologies to meet the evolving needs of their citizens and improve the efficiency of consular service delivery.

During the consultations, officials explored ways to strengthen cooperation and exchange expertise across several priority areas, including digital attestation mechanisms, modernization of consular services, institutional preparedness, and coordination on consular matters of mutual interest.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing collaboration in consular affairs with the objective of delivering more efficient and effective services, improving the customer experience, and further reinforcing the growing strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and France.